European History Essay, Research Paper

Economy, Government, and Modern Europe

In early modern day Europe the government was effected by many economic challenges, such as war, taxes, trade, and expansion. These are not all of the economic challenges. However these will be the ones I will be concentrating on. Some challenges that I will fail to cover will be the population increase or decrease in a nation. Another I will fail to mention will be the governmental change from tyrannical to democratic. I will also fail to mention the effect of weapons on an economy and the soldiers needed to use these weapons, thanks to the creation of the long bow and gunpowder. I will however help you to understand how some of early modern Europe’s economy worked.

Early Modern Europe’s government was that of a tyrannical government. Which meant that the King had all the power. The King’s word was final and there was no system of checks and balances to justify his actions. In the power of the King he had the ability to make persons nobles. If you were a noble you were considered of the wealthy class, which meant your word was more respectable than that of peasants and persons below you. Once a noble you had the ability to make your son or nephew a knight, following the bloodline. Not just anybody could become a knight. A knight was labeled a knight from birth and he would spend the rest of his days training to become a worthy one. This was a position of much respect. All of these persons were subjects to the King. However they had a chance to state their opinions to the King, for the simple fact they were deemed worthy. A peasant however had no say. His role in life was to follow the Kings orders or suffer consequence. This was not fair to them however this was a tyrannical government and there is no fair.

Part of the King’s duties was to expand and protect their kingdom of rule. Which in turn meant they had control over the knights and when they were to fight in wars. So when the question of war arose the King was forced to send his knights to battle. However the knights could not just support themselves. Therefore peasants were asked to form the cavalry. This created jobs for peasants and began to create growth among the economy. However during a time of war this is not the only growth in the economy.

To fight in a war you would be gone for months at a time. While away you would need supplies to fight with and food to live on. This is where the King’s tyrannical powers came into action. Often times the King would force the taxes to be raised in order to support his army. This was required to pay by the people of the kingdom, helping the kingdom to spread in some aspects of wealth.

Also more jobs would be created by the simple fact that the supplies that were needed for the soldiers to fight, such as swords, armor, arrows, and bows would have to be made by someone. Therefore the King created jobs for blacksmiths, carpenters, and traders. Traders were called into action for the simple fact that the material needed would have to come from somewhere. Therefore the economy continued to grow during war time. This can be considered with the same philosophy America experienced during the “Great Depression” and was pulled out of because of WWI.

War creates jobs and jobs create monetary exchange. Once that is established it is only a matter of time till your kingdom experiences the growth in your monetary value. However, war also creates expansion. When a new land is conquered it is taken over by the King who’s subjects conquered it. Therefore you will expand your kingdom creating even more wealth for the kingdom through the form of taxes. Also now expansion means furthering trade routes and that means you can trade with other kingdoms that might not have been possible before. All of these affects are benefits of war.

War might not always create benefits for everyone. However, the King has total power and usually does what is best for the kingdom to gain wealth. Also the wealthier the kingdom the wealthier the King and the more powerful he becomes. Some struggle to pay taxes, others reap the rewards. However this is still seen today in every economy around the world. The only difference is that when the economy grows today everyone experiences the growth. In a government of Tyranny wealth only means power and the only power is the King.